PPL using coal, oil with lower sulfur content at Martins Creek plant

Move expected to reduce pollution by 20 percent to 30 percent.

May 01, 2004|By Tim Darragh Of The Morning Call

Beginning today, Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents near PPL Corp.'s Martins Creek power plant may be able to breathe a little bit easier.

PPL will begin using coal and oil with lower sulfur content at the aging power plant as part of a settlement with Pennsylvania and New Jersey environmental authorities signed last year. It's the first step in a plan that will lead to either the permanent shutdown of the two coal-fired generating units or their reconversion to cleaner-burning operations.

Today's step will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions at Martin's Creek by 20 percent for the two coal-fired units and 30 percent for its two oil-fired units.

The change could be significant because sulfur dioxide pollution is associated with respiratory illness and aggravation of existing cardiovascular disease, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Children, the elderly and people with asthma, lung disease such as bronchitis or emphysema and heart disease are most threatened by exposure to sulfur dioxide pollution.

Additionally, reductions in sulfur dioxide will reduce acid rain, a problem that particularly plagues the eastern United States, according to EPA.

"Will it help? Certainly," said Bud Allen of White Township, N.J.

"It's certainly a step in the right direction," said William Rosebrock, chairman of the Warren County Environmental Commission.

Officials could not specify how great the improvement in air quality may be, but Ron Ruman of the state Department of Environmental Protection said sulfur dioxide pollution "should go down to some extent immediately."

The results also may be seen in asthma patients living in Warren County who are part of an ongoing health study.

PPL officials say they don't anticipate that great an improvement in air quality, saying that the Martins Creek plant has not been the cause of sulfur dioxide pollution in Warren County.

"The real measure is going to be what's the air quality," said spokeswoman Connie Walker. "And the only objective way to get that is through air monitoring. And we are part of an air monitoring program in that area."

Allen, chairman of the Warren-Northampton Regional Air Quality Advisory Panel, said three air quality stations have shown air pollution levels in the region to be mostly good. The data for the air tests can be found at the panel's Web site at www.airqap.com.

However, several Warren County communities across the Delaware River from Martins Creek remain listed by the EPA as exceeding sulfur dioxide pollution levels.

PPL agreed to use the lower sulfur coal and oil -- and shut down or "repower" Martins Creek's coal-burning units by 2007 -- in return for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's dropping of an appeal in Harrisburg. That appeal held up an air-quality permit that had been approved for PPL's 600-megawatt natural gas plant, adjacent to the Martins Creek plant.

By withdrawing the appeal, PPL was able to move forward with plans for the plant, which could begin providing power in the next few weeks.

"We are in final testing stages," said Walker. "We should be coming into service sometime in early May."

The clean-burning, natural-gas-fired plant will produce twice as much power as the coal-fired units, with 90 percent fewer sulfur dioxide emissions. The coal-fired generators are 50 and 48 years old and would have had to have been replaced, PPL officials have said. Because of its age, the Martins Creek plant did not have to meet emission standards tougher than those applied to newer plants.

A megawatt is enough electricity to power about 1,000 average homes.

New Jersey environmental officials said they will ask EPA to redesignate Warren County as an "attainment area" for sulfur dioxide pollution after PPL satisfies its obligations under the settlement.